2012 - July 28 - Getting Ready for Fall Crop

The blazing heat took a toll on the Raised Garden.  I did some cleaning and took some of the plants that were no longer producing well out.  The most notable were the Sunflowers as they were finishing their last blooms and their massive leaves had turned yellow.  I chopped the stems down to two foot tall stems.  I need a saw to hack them better since I do not want to just yank them out and pull all the dirt and fresh roots with them.

This Brussels Sprout plant is surviving well despite the heat and the hungry critters that I could not cage out.  These small bugs have definitely left their mark on it's leaves, but the sprouts on the stalk look great!  I use a tomato support to hold up the plant to keep it off the ground.  This should be a taller plant in the garden, but some how the plant does not want to stand straight up.  I knew nothing of this plant when I got the seeds from my mom.  They came in a plastic bag and I threw four seeds in the square at the beginning of spring.  Two sprouted and I tore the second one out due to size and the malicious attacks the bugs had on it.  It was skeleton leaves stuck on a stem.  As I did research on it, they should grow around 4 feet tall and have brussels sprouts all along the stalk.

Amongst the Sunflower stalks, I threw some Kentucky Bean Pole Seeds in a few weeks ago.  They are coming up quite nicely.  The roots of these guys are now intertwined with the Sunflowers' roots and I don't want to disturb them.  At the time I planted the beans I didn't know the Sunflowers would be done so soon and not have a cool place for them to climb.

On the backside of the Raised Garden, the Mesclun has bolted.  I would have taken them out sooner, but the flowers have been pretty.  Since they set to seed, they are too bitter to eat.  I have been waiting for the heat wave to break to pull it up and reseed.   It sure smells good.  I love the peppery Arugula aroma.

Purple flowers pop out of this unidentified Mesclun variety that towers over the white Arugula blossoms.  The critters have skeletonized the Kale variety.  These guys are on their last days.  The heat looms today in the upper 90s as I keep the garden dirt moist.

Panda acts afraid of the water puddle I just splashed on the porch.  "Ew.  Wet."

Early morning light puts a neat glow on the garden.  

This Mammoth Sunflower is weighed down by the swelling seeds that fill the head of the blossom.

More of the Mesclun that is growing in a pot back by the deck.  All bitter.  Even though these guys were not in the direct sunlight, they had the same growth consistency as the others on the backside of the Raised Garden.  They too have bolted and became bitter with the heat and lack of water.